CLUB RULES
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to read the club Rule book
please click here
LINKS
ENGLISH
SHORT MAT ASSOCIATION
www.esmba.co.uk
LONDON
COUNTY SHORT
MAT ASSOCIATION
www.londoncsmba.weebly.com
ADVICE FOR
BOWLERS
All of the leagues above have endeavoured to keep up a
fairly high standard of sportsmanship and etiquette and
for bowlers new to participating in these competitions
and to save any embarrassing moments in the early part
of the season the following items ought to ensure that
you will enjoy taking part. It is normal practice that
all players stand behind the fender while waiting to bowl.
However you may find that seating is located alongside,
but away from, the bowling mat near the fender; this normally
means that the bowler on the mat is not unduly affected
by people in his sight line, even though they are in front
of him/her but in any case please try to keep your feet
still.
Before commencing
a new end please ensure that the fender is placed in its
correct position with the front edge of the fender in
line with the ditch line. When changing ends you may also
find that the fender at the head end has not been correctly
positioned, please bring this to the attention of your
number three so that they can set the fender correctly
before the skips bowl. Please also remember that if the
fender is displaced at any time it should be repositioned
before the next player bowls; please be aware of the rules
regarding bowls displaced into the ditch area and, especially,
any woods that come into contact with the floor. Please
do not place feet on the fender to stop it moving. Should
a wood be played with sufficient force that it comes over
the fender, and this has happened, there would be a serious
risk of injury if that wood were to hit a shin bone. A
wood hitting and deflecting the fender would have a lot
of its momentum dissipated should the fender move.
Please mark
all touchers, where possible, before the next player bowls.
Where this is not possible please agree with your opposite
number that the wood is nominated, and mark that wood
as soon as practicable. When a Jack and/or Toucher enters
the ditch area please mark its position with chalk so
that it may be replaced if moved unlawfully. If a toucher
or jack is moved lawfully while in the ditch its new position
must be remarked. Please ensure that you have both blackboard
chalk and puffer chalk available for this purpose.
When changing
ends please do not walk on the mat otherwise woods may
fall over. However, there may often not be sufficient
space between mats for this to be done and you will have
to walk on the mats, please do so with consideration so
as not to disturb the bowls in the head. Similarly, one
must also be aware that you do not walk into the eyeline
of a bowler delivering their wood, if that is a possibility
please wait until the wood has been bowled.
Please ensure
that you have a copy of the local rules that apply to
each of the leagues, as well as those issued by ESMBA.
Three pieces of equipment that should also be available
are a line square, to determine whether a wood or jack
has crossed a line, a set of feeler gauges and a pair
of screw operated callipers. Those doing the measuring
will have their own measure but I would recommend that
they purchase a set of jack and wood chocks to ensure
jacks do not move or woods fall inadvertently. Although
Short Mat Bowls is similar to outdoors Bowls there are
some differences. A delivered wood must come to rest in
the live area. If it comes to rest in the ditch, or with
part of it crossing the ditch line it will be removed.
However, should it be a toucher, it remains live and is
not removed, remember that once it has fully crossed the
ditch line its position in the ditch must be marked. The
ditch line is the front edge of the line that defines
the ditch area. When the jack is be fully over this line
it can only be moved by being impacted on by a toucher.
If it is moved by a non-toucher it is reinstated to its
original position. This also applies to touchers in the
ditch area. You may, if it is necessary to do so, play
a weighted or firing shot with the intention of disturbing
the head. Before playing this shot please give a loud
verbal message to the head end together with a visual
indication that you are playing with weight. Those who
are at the head end should then move to the side of the
mat to stop any deflected wood from travelling onto adjacent
mats causing those heads to be disturbed. Please do not
bowl until these precautions have been put in place. When
ends have been decided please ensure that number threes,
as you are playing rinks, inform those responsible for
keeping the scorecard (normally number two) of the shots
for or against; the skip should also be informed.
The ESMBA rule
book covers most, but not all, eventualities. Where a
situation arises that is not covered by this rule book
or the local league rules please remember, when trying
to come to an agreeable solution, that good sportsmanship
and common sense will prevail.
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